The Golden LEAF Board of Directors Thursday awarded $8,500 to the Enfield Economic Development and Revitalization Commission to support implementation of a component of the town’s economic development plan. 

This award follows funding to develop the plan provided through a past Golden LEAF special initiative.


The plan includes business recruitment targets, including industrial and retail.

The award to the commission was part of $2.4 million in funding to support agriculture, economic development, entrepreneurship, capacity building, and disaster recovery through projects across North Carolina. 

“Golden LEAF is developing a strategic plan to help guide the next three to five years of our work to move the economic needle in rural, economically distressed North Carolina,” said Bo Biggs, Golden LEAF board chair. “This board-led process included input from former Golden LEAF board members, leadership throughout the state, and community stakeholders. We remain committed to the mission of the foundation and look forward to identifying opportunities to increase the impact of our work.”

The board approved four projects for workforce training, agriculture, and economic development in Mitchell, Rutherford, Wake, and Halifax counties through the Open Grants Program. 

The Open Grants Program supports economic development projects in the areas of workforce preparedness and education, economic investment and job creation, and agriculture. Awards do not exceed $200,000 through this program. 

The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to receive a portion of North Carolina’s funding from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers.